U.S. solar module production hits 100 GW milestone

U.S. solar module production reaches historic 100 GW landmark

U.S. cumulative solar PV module production reached 100 GW during Q2 2026, according to Terawatt PV Research’s bottom-up factory-level analysis spanning from the early 1970s to Q2 2026. Over 70% of this cumulative output occurred after the Inflation Reduction Act’s implementation in late 2022, with First Solar accounting for approximately 40% of production in Q2 2026. The research tracked physical module output across hundreds of U.S. factories, excluding facilities that were announced but never operated at meaningful scale.

This production scale represents a direct consequence of policy-driven manufacturing expansion. The analysis shows how the Inflation Reduction Act accelerated factory deployment and output, with physical module production becoming the primary metric for tracking real-world capacity rather than third-party estimates or announced projects.

This level of production enables cheaper renewable energy access for households as solar becomes more scalable and cost-effective. The milestone demonstrates that U.S. manufacturing can now reliably supply the physical modules needed to meet growing demand, reducing barriers to household-level renewable energy adoption.

What to watch: Future factory-level data may refine the share of production attributed to specific manufacturers or regions. The analysis excludes non-operational facilities, so actual deployment rates could differ from current metrics. The source’s research was prepared for Solar Manufacturing USA 2026 in September 2026.

Source: pv magazine